Appointment of New Vice President for Public Affairs

February 8, 2011

Members of the Rutgers Community:

I am pleased to announce that the Rutgers Board of Governors has approved the appointment of Peter J. McDonough Jr. as the university’s new vice president for public affairs, effective March 1. He will succeed Jeannine F. LaRue, who is retiring after 40 years of public and private service to our state and who has served with distinction in leading our outreach and advocacy efforts since 2007.

Pete McDonough brings a wealth of experience in both Trenton and Washington. He was director of communications under Governor Christine Todd Whitman and former chief of staff in the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, before becoming a founding partner of the Princeton Public Affairs Group, the state’s largest public affairs firm. Mr. McDonough has served as an executive director in the New Jersey General Assembly, chief of staff for the late Congressman Dean Gallo, and consultant to the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He has consulted or directed more than 50 political campaigns in the United States and in Eastern Europe. Pete also knows Rutgers, having served as an adjunct professor and visiting associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.

In an era of unprecedented fiscal challenges, Jeannine LaRue has done an outstanding job as a tireless advocate on behalf of Rutgers to federal, state, local, community, and business leaders. She has strengthened the university’s interactions and relationships with elected officials at all levels, and has steered the university successfully through discussions in Trenton and in legislative districts on many important issues and in very challenging times.

I can think of no better successor to Jeannine than Pete McDonough in directing our relationships with elected officials and community leaders as we make the case for supporting and strengthening The State University of New Jersey. Pete will bring a unique combination of experience and insight—and, like Jeannine, he is respected on both sides of the political aisle for his persistence and his extensive knowledge of state and federal government.

Please join me in applauding Jeannine for her leadership and dedication and in welcoming Pete to this new role at Rutgers.

Richard L. McCormick
President
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey